The combat sports world was hit with big news recently as reports have emerged that Gable Steveson is officially out of his grappling match with Craig Jones at CJI 2 (Craig Jones Invitational). The Olympic gold medalist was expected to headline the event in Las Vegas, but an injury has reportedly pulled him off the card. Suddenly, the Aussie grappling phenom was left without a dance partner.

So, who stepped into the conversation? None other than Chael Sonnen. But instead of his usual bravado and pro-wrestling style promos, ‘The Bad Guy’ delivered something rare, an admission of defeat. Curious how it all unfolded?

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, he recounted how Christian Pyles, from Flo Grappling, rang him up after the Steveson news broke. Would Sonnen consider stepping in to face Craig Jones? Sonnen responded with, “You tell Craig Jones, not only do I accept, but I’m p–  off about it.”

That fire, however, came with a twist. As Sonnen explained, he already had a history with Craig Jones. And it wasn’t one that ended in his favor as he shared, “I go to Abu Dhabi in 2017. I had a very hard super fight… I am the reigning Abu Dhabi super fight champion. And to get that, I had Leo Vieira in the finals, who’s a three-time finalist, two time gold medalist. I won. That’s a big deal to me. And I won, and I was awarded. So after I win the super fight at Abu Dhabi, this is 2017, we’re in Finland.”

Then fate threw him a curveball. According to him, “After I win the super fight, an opening comes up in the absolute and it was Vinny’s. Vinny had the spot and comes and grabs me and goes, ‘Hey, I’m pulling out.’ And he goes, ‘Come with me, when I go to the bracket room and pull out, we’re gonna put you in before anybody else can grab it.’”

It seemed like a golden chance, until Sonnen found himself staring across the mat at a young Australian prospect named Craig Jones. The funny part? Sonnen claimed he spotted Jones at the concession stand right before their match, a beer in hand. It looked like an easy draw. Instead, it turned into a nightmare.

As Sonnen confessed in his recent video, “He puts me in a submission I simply don’t know. He realizes that I don’t know where I am and you can get lost in positions that’s an expression in jiu-jitsu… But this is the spot I find myself in. So he lets that go and goes right to another submission. And I don’t know where I’m at. It’s a move that I haven’t seen before.  He then goes into and he lets it go. When he realizes that I’m in actual danger, he lets it go and he rolls down to a heel hook and I never even tap. I said, “Craig, stop.” So, it was three submissions in the course of a pretty short match.”

So, would history repeat itself if he were to face Jones again? Sonnen’s tone suggests he already knows the answer. This wasn’t trash talk. This wasn’t showmanship. This was honesty, an open acknowledgment that in the world of grappling, Craig Jones had his number.

Now, it remains to be seen if ‘The Bad Guy’ tries to get his loss back at CJI 2. Because Sonnen’s addition to the event could help out in a big way, as Jones recently confessed that the ticket sales haven’t exactly gone according to plan!

Storm clouds loom above CJI 2 as ticket troubles revealed by Craig Jones amidst Gable Steveson’s withdrawal

It turns out the future of the Craig Jones Invitational doesn’t just depend on submissions; it depends on ticket stubs. Just days before CJI 2 hits Las Vegas, Jones admitted that the event is still short of its breakeven mark. And the gap? About 2,000 tickets.

In an Instagram story, Jones revealed, “Guys, we’re 2000 tickets shy of this breakeven point for (CJI 2) I got massive streaming rights offers, but I turned that s– down because I don’t want to sell my soul to some people out there.”

The urgency might surprise some fans. After all, the Invitational is famous for its fighter-friendly payouts. CJI 1 handed out $1 million each to Kade Ruotolo and Nick Rodriguez. This year’s edition doubles down with a $1 million team tournament, a $100,000 women’s bracket, and show money across the board. The catch? All of it streams free on YouTube.

As such, Jones continued, “We have to put this on a streaming platform next year to make it viable — if we even do it again, because I really don’t want to do that. I want to keep this free on YouTube. If you guys want to support and are watching the free broadcast at home, just get a cheap general admission ticket and get us across the line. Please, or I’ll be bankrupt.”

And so, CJI 2 feels bigger than just another grappling card. It’s Chael Sonnen revisiting a ghost from his past and Craig Jones trying to keep his bold experiment alive. So, what happens next? Does Sonnen step in and test himself once more against the Aussie who once humbled him? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!